162. Hey, Bruce!

Hey, Bruce! An Interactive Book. Ryan T. Higgins. 2022. 48 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Get ready, Thistle and Nibbs. We're making an interactive book. Hooray! I don't know what that means! Hooray! Me neither! Interactive means the reader will make things happen inside the book. I love readers! What's a reader? I have no idea. Sigh! The reader is who's looking at us right now. We're being looked at?! But we're not wearing pants! I can see up the reader's nose.

Ryan T. Higgins has a LOT of picture books (and some early readers) starring Bruce (the ever-grumpy bear) and his found-family. I do recommend reading at least a couple of the earlier books first. If this is your absolute first introduction to Bruce (and family) then you might find it more annoying than amusing. If these characters are already among your friends, then you'll enjoy (to some degree at least) this interactive book. 

Are interactive books for everyone? That's a fair question. The same could be said for interactive television shows like Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, Blue's Clues, Super Why, Little Einsteins, Team Umizoomi, Dora the Explorer, etc. (I am sure I am missing a ton of shows that fall into this category.) 

But if you DO like to interact, then this one might be worth looking up.

I found this one fantastically silly, over-the-top silly. I didn't mind a bit because I love Bruce and his little found-family. I think the illustrations are always so expressive. Bruce is so relatable. Is it my favorite in the series? Definitely not. But I enjoyed it. 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Young Readers